Harvest and "putting up" ** Plus an unusual recipe!

Harvest time = "Putting Up" time!! It is a busy time of the year, but oh how good it will all taste as the snow flies over winter. I have to tell you that it just does my heart good to see the shelves filling up with beautiful jars of produce and the freezers gaining their share as well. My Aunt Edna blessed me on Friday with 14 doz ears of corn which equaled 24 stuffed quart bags of corn in the freezer (plus the MANY ears we ate while I was "putting up")! Thank you, Aunt Edna!!

I will not lie.... Some days are LONG when I am "putting up" the harvest and attempting to keep up with everything else.... attempting being the key word because my husband said this morning "Any chance I could get some clean work pants and underwear for tomorrow before work?" OOPS!! He is such a patient man... even rubbing in bengay into my aching back last night.... I think I am officially OLD!! LOL

One of the new crops I raised this summer is Spaghetti Squash. It grew great and has been fun cooking with. We LOVE making spaghetti bake with it and for fun I just had to try this Mock Coconut Cream Pie recipe. Guess what! We really enjoyed it!!! I used cold processed coconut oil instead of the called for butter (cold processed keeps the coconut flavor in the oil) so the pie really did taste like coconut!!! Way COOL!!! I'm sure I will be making it again and plan on raising even more of this yummy squash next year. I love that coconut oil is GOOD for you! I have been trying hard to incorporate more and more into our everyday diet. I will post some links soon on the goodness of coconut oil. If you are the adventurous sort (or just like to try unusual recipes) give this one a try... (by the way, a serving of Spaghetti Squash only has 35 calories!!!!!)

Mock Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (or BUTTER), melted (cold processed coconut oil tastes like coconut)
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups cooked, shredded spaghetti squash
• 1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked (I used a graham cracker crust)
  
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
  
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  
• 1 1/2 cups whipped cream for garnish (optional) (We didn't use this)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Beat the sugar and eggs together in a mixing bowl until light and frothy. Beat in the butter, lemon juice, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the spaghetti squash. Pour the mixture into the prebaked pie shell. If desired, dust the top with nutmeg and cinnamon.
3. Bake the pie in preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather